Stihl 180 or 210

[spawnordie]

I'm looking at two saws, the Stihl MS 180 C-BE and the MS 210. I'm new to chainsaws but my research and dealer conversations have lead me to one of these two. The 180 has the easy start and easy bar adjustment bells and whistles while the 210 is your basic saw with no extras. The 180 has a 14 inch bar while the 210 has a little bigger engine and a 16 inch bar.

The intended use is light cutting of felled trees for splitting for firewood and light trimming of branches around the house. I'm guessing the max diameter of the felled trees may be up to 16 inches or so (maybe). I'm only intending on cutting a cord (max) per year so I don't think this would even qualify for light use. These saws are the same price at my dealer so the question is:

Small with options or bigger and plain??

Thanks to all for helping me out with my first post!!

 

[TJ-Bill]

I have a MS180.. It's a good little saw and will cut alot as long as your not in a hurry and know how to keep it sharp.. I've cut 1 cord of wood this year using it and was pretty happy. Keep in mind this is my 1st saw. If I had to do it over again I'd go with a bigger saw.. The 180 is perfect for limbing downed trees but if your lookign at felling 16" hardwood I'd look for a bigger saw. I'm looking at geting a 361 before the end of summer. Look at it as an investment. Get the largest Saw you can afford.. It'll be the last saw you buy..

 

[spawnordie]

Thanks for the advice TJ Bill. I'm going to go up to my Stihl dealer again this week and look around. I'm not worried about the "easy start" feature, I'm just curious as to if the quick bar adjustment feature is a "must have".

Thanks again!

 

[Pete M]

No, it's not a "must have". Sort of convenient, but it's no real hardship loosening nuts.

 

[spawnordie]

I was just informed on another forum (and confrimed the info on Stihl's website) that despite the slightly smaller engine, the 180 and the 210 have the same HP. Also, Stihl's website says that the 180 can use a 16" bar.

All that said, should I lean towards the 180 with the option of adding a 16" bar if I need to cut larger material?

Thanks to all again.

 

[nikocker]

Welcome to the site.

You need to post this over in the CHAIN SAW forum listed in the Equipment Forums on this site. . . there are lots of Stihl Gurus over there that will give you all the guidance you need in choosing the appropriate saw. . . and maybe even saws you never even knew existed!

Good luck! - - Al

 

[stihl sawing]

I believe you would be better with the 250, More power at about the same weight. Especially if your gonna buck them too. I just cut some 16 to 18 inch limbs with my 250 this week and it's not very fast going through red oak. It does get the job done but at a slower pace. Don't know how fast a 180 would do it. I just like to get the job done and the less you hold the saw the less fatigued you are gonna be at the end of the day. I actually was wishing i had the 036 to get through faster. The weight factor between the 180,210 and 250 is minimal.

 

[mig]

I have a MS 180 and realy love it!!!

 

[harveyhouse]

The Stihl models 170 &180 use a smaller chain than the larger saws (210 and up).Stihl calls this PMN. It works fine for cutting small branches but for cutting larger wood (6"and up) I prefer the style chain that comes on the 210 and larger saws.

 

[Bermie]

I have the older version of the 210 - the 021.
I run a 14" bar with 3/8 picco chain on it.
Been using it for 9 years...its the go to baby saw, a real little work horse for the small stuff

Stay away from the quick chain adjuster - it is a pain in the @$$. It gets in the way for regular bar maintenance, which you should do often to keep things clean and evenly worn.

I ran a course where a couple of the participants brought 180's with the quick chain tensioner, they fiddled around far longer than the others trying to reassemble their bar and chain and tension it properly...
I also had a friend call me from the middle of an island in a pond asking how to put a 210 with a QCA back together after they got palm fibre clogging up the works...
Another course - a 290 (or similar) with a QCA, the rachet was so worn that it would not keep tension at all...

Not much can go wrong with the 'normal' setup...

 

[tbuggle]

no matter the saw, i too vote for the old way of chain tensioning.

kinda hard to go wrong, plus i tend to also refuel/oil and touch up the chain as part of the break time during cutting. all done in a few minutes, maybe 10 if ya push it.

really, chain tension is rarely touched until i r and r the chain. new ones do require abit more attention at first until they stretch abit it seems.

 

[woodchuck361]

Buy the 210. I own a 180 and you will be much happier with the 210 the hp may be the same ,but the motor is larger on the 210= more torque. I use my 180 to limb with and that is IT. I have found the chain to be very fragile. I like the woodspro chain better then stihl for this application due to the beefer construction. The 210 will use a .325 chain while the 180 uses a narrow curf chain. I would not consider using the 180 for anything over an 8 inch dia. A 16inch dia. tree as you say, if it is hardwood might give a 210 a run for its money too. I would defiantly consider the 250 same weight and more power. It would handle the larger wood, has the better chain, and is only 50$ more. Good luck. Oh yea go with the plain Jane model. You don't have to have any of those things.